study comparing allovax™ to chemotherapy in recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head & neck

Conditions: Squamous Cell Carcinoma Head and Neck

Summary: phase ii, randomized, non-inferiority study comparing an individualized cancer vaccine (allovax™) to chemotherapy in subjects with r/m scchn .

all accrued subjects will be randomized 2:1 to allovax™ (crcl + allostim™) immunotherapy vs. standard chemotherapy. allovax™ is an experimental individualized therapeutic vaccine shown to be active in this study population. the standard chemotherapy arm (arm 1) will receive up to six three-week cycles of chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin on day 0 of the 3-week cycle at dose 80-100 mg/m2 iv followed by 1000 mg/m2 iv flurouracil (5fu) on days 1-4 of the cycle. the immunotherapy arm (arm 2) will receive immunotherapy (allovax™) twice a week for 4 weeks and then every 4 weeks for an additional 12 weeks. the study is designed and powered to determine if allovax™ is not inferior to the active chemotherapy control.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * adult males and female subjects aged 18 years or older at screening visit. * histopatholologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of locoregionally recurrent unresectable or previously untreated metastatic scchn. * tumor lesion safely accessible for biopsy or surgical excision resulting in a minimum of 0.2 g of tumor sample for crcl processing. * subjects must have measurable disease according to revised recist v.1.1 guidelines. * eastern cooperative oncology group (ecog) ≤1. * subjects must be screened to be negative for human immunodeficiency virus 1 (hiv1), hbsag, hepatitis c (hcv) and rapid plasma reagin (rpr,syphilis). * subjects must have adequate organ function including: (wbc \>3000/mm3, platelets \>100,000/mm3, absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm³, hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dl (transfusion allowed)), hepatic (serum total bilirubin \ 30 ml/min. * pre-study ekg without significant abnormalities. * women of child-bearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test result within 72 hours prior to the start of study drug administration. * if child producing potential age, must agree to use contraception or avoidance of pregnancy measures while enrolled on study and receiving the experimental product. * ability to understand the study, its inherent risks, side effects and potential benefits and be able to give written informed consent to participate. exclusion criteria: * clinical evidence or radiological evidence of brain metastasis. * treated for another primary cancer within 2 years prior to signing inform consent form. * any concomitant anticancer therapies. * history of severe hypersensitivity to monoclonal antibody drugs or any contraindication to any of the study drugs. * concomitant active autoimmune disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune thyroid disease, uveitis). * prior experimental therapy or cancer vaccine treatment (e.g., dendritic cell therapy, heat shock vaccine). * clinical requirement for systemic steroids or immunosuppressive therapy, including: cyclosporine, antithymocyte globulin, or tacrolimus within 1 month prior to signing inform consent form. * uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, requiring parenteral antibiotics, symptomatic congestive heart failure, severe myocardial insufficiency, cardiac arrhythmia. all infections must be resolved and the subject must remain a febrile for seven days prior to being placed in the study. * history of blood transfusion reactions. * psychiatric or addictive disorders or other condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would preclude study participation. * female subject is pregnant or breast-feeding

Keywords: head and neck cancer scchn r/m scchn carcinoma